“Working at the NYU Child Study Center not only raised my social awareness and gave me an entirely different perspective, but it also raised many sociological questions in my mind. Questions that I may very well revert to later on in my educational career.” – Ben Fuchs, 2006

“I can’t say that it wasn’t challenging and upsetting at points, but there wasn’t one moment during my month-long internship that I wasn’t laughing at one of my kids’ silly dances or smiling at a child’s accomplishment – whether it was solving a puzzle or making eye contact with me for the first time.”—Rebecca Lange, 2005, The Bridge School and Professional Training Centre, London, England

“There have been many events in my life that have allowed me to change as a person. However, I don’t believe that I will ever experience something like my trip to the Dominican Republic, which allowed me to change so dramatically, on so many levels. In my high school career, there has not been anything that has contributed so much to making me the person that I am today as my experience in the Dominican Republic, and I doubt it is something that I will ever forget.” Ross Stackhouse, 2004, VISIONS

“It was after this trip that I realized that I was able to make a difference in the world and it’s my duty as a person to utilize my abilities to better my community.” Zachary Ellis, 2004, VISIONS Montessori School in Tortola, BVI

“If there are any major conclusions to be drawn from this project, it is that I have a better understanding for the community service requirements at Fieldston. I now consider it necessary for someone in adolescence to do some kind of community service, not just to fulfill a requirement, but because it helps you mature in a different way from what we encounter in our daily lives.” – Bernard Horowitz, 2004, Purple Circle

“At the program I was not giving quantifiable help. I was not building houses or donating food. I was playing chess and lending a listening ear. Seeing the clients open up and let me in was proof that I was making a difference.” – Ben Ehrlich, 2005, JCC on the Palisade, New Jersey

“It felt great to know that we had given them such a needed gift, and had a great experience doing it. It would not be an exaggeration to say that my Alaska VISIONS experience was one of the best in my life.” – Michael Schafler, 2005, VISIONS

“As simple thing like dribbling [a basketball] is important because it brought us closer together and it made me realize how much I was affecting these children’s hearts and lives.” – Nina Dine, 2005, Rodeph Sholom School

“I realized that the trip was helpful to others, but in doing so, I had learned, more about myself.” – Emily Gaines-Tecchio, 2005, VISIONS project on the Island of Dominica

“The value in doing community service is not only what it gives to the community, but the person doing the giving also gets something back. I believe the time I spent at The Children’s Museum of Manhattan the past two years helped to support the work of The Museum in making art accessible to the (young) children of New York while also encouraging them to appreciate it.” – David Derish, 2004

“It was at that moment that I realized how much I had learned about interacting with others – how, for one thing, it is so important to never devalue someone else’s opinions. This simple idea, I discovered, can be remarkably complex, especially in group settings. I have a new appreciation for the difficulties involved in being a leader.” Scott Mannis, 2004, Woodhull Institute

“I realized that my job may not mean much to the world at large, but to that child, for a little amount of time my job meant the world to him. ….. I now continue to work there (even though my service-learning hours are completed) because I now know what my job means to the kids.” – Cameron Sinsheimer, 2004, NY Hall of Science

“I was able to conclude that through a volunteer’s presence, hours are saved, lives are made easier, and work is accomplished more efficiently.” – David Martin, 2006, Health Advocates for Older People